Third Force Should Be Of Working Class People, Not Politicians – Falana

Femi Falana, Human right activist and constitutional lawyer, has thrown his weight behind the third force movement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo known as Coalition for Nigeria (CN).

The constitutional lawyer said the third force by Obasanjo should be a party of the working class that would protect the interest of Nigerians.

Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Abuja, yesterday, Falana while revealing that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered N750 billion loots in two years, tasked the NLC to monitor the usage of the money by the Federal Government.

According to Falana, “The solution is for us to reorganise the Labour Party so that it will not be a dumping ground for the disgruntled elements of the ruling class.

“This is because General Obasanjo said neither APC (All Progressives Congress) or the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) has a solution to the country’s problems.

“Therefore, there is a need for a Third Force.

“That Third Force must not be by the disgruntled people, but of the Nigerian working people.

“The NLC has a role to play to protect the interest of the Nigerian people.

“That is why whenever there is a problem in the country, people will be asking where is NLC.

“If you say you are fighting corruption, we have nothing to lose but to join them to expose themselves.

“The EFCC in the last two and half years recovered N750 billion.

“NLC must find out what will they do with the money.

“I told government publicly that what they are doing by saying they are fighting corruption is a tip of the iceberg, the real corruption is not being fought.

“I wrote a letter to the Minister of Finance and I itemised how this country can recover about $200 billion and therefore they don’t need to go anywhere to borrow money, but what the Minister did was to write me back to acknowledge receiving the letter and that it is receiving attention.

“And up till now, that letter is receiving attention.

“In 2006, the then CBN Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, gave $7 billion to 14 banks and those banks have not paid back the money.

“Also in 2008, the CBN governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido, gave to six banks N600 billion and up till now, the money has not been returned.

“You cannot say we are broke, pay back this money.

“You also remember the N100 million that was released for the revive of the textile industry, but still these textile companies are still moribund. Where is the money?

“Also in the last 10 years, over N400 billion was released for agriculture, but yet we are hungry.”